Wrench for valve-seats and the like



i March 29, 1932l A. A. CONKLIN Filed March 20, 1931 Patented Mar. 29, 1932 ALFRED A. coNKLIN, oF -wEsT HAK-IEN; CONNECTICUT I WRENCH Eon vALvE-sEnTsANDfTHE LIKE Application iiieanareh 2o, 192.1.l serial No. 523,960.l y

This invention relatesto an improvement in wrenches and particularly to an improvement 1n wrenches for mstallmg and 'removing valve-seats or port-plugs of various types i such as those employed in steam-turbines, etc. f f l Valve-seats,.especially those throughwhich hot corrosive luidsflow,such as steam,l be-H provided at itsinner end with a plurality of come corroded or frozen7 in, place andare 'le extremely didicult to removeivitlioiit injuring or destroyingthe saine, particularly when they are in relatively inaccessible positions.

I am aware thatheretoforeefi'orts have been made to provide special wrenches for 15 the removal of valve-seats, but suchwrenches,

to be effective, have required the formation of threads in the4 flow-'passages ofthe valveseats in order to provide an anchorage to positively hold the wrench in place. The 2v formation and the mere presence of threads inthe flow-passage of a valve-seatis objectionable for obvious reasons, among which may be mentioned the Vfact that such threads weaken the relatively-thin walls of the valveseatrand interfere with the smooth flow of high velocity steam, etc., through the axial passage therein. P The main object of my present invention is to provide a simple, rugged and conven- 30 ient wrench which may be firmly anchored to the valve-seat for turning the same without injury thereto and without requiring the formation of threads therein. j

With the above and other objects in view as will appearrfrom the following, my invention consists in a wrench for valve-seats and the like having certain details of construction and combinations ofparts as will be hereinafter described and particularly recited in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: v Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a valveseat wrench embodying my invention and shown as anchored to a valve-seat forthe removal thereof; Y

Fig. 2 is a view thereof inV central longitudinal section, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in side'elevation of theV anchoring-sleeve 50 Fig. 4 1s an end view thereof; and

yFig. 5 is a view in side elevation of the draft-rod. ,y Y In the particular embodiment of my inven g vtion herein chosen for illustration, I employ a wrench-body formed with a vlongitudi-` a5 ynal axially-arrangedbore11 and provided at its upper end with' a polygonal head 12 for the purpose as will hereinafter appear, land downwardly-extending .coupling-lugs 13 seped arated by' transverse Vcuts 141 and adapted to enter and interlock with upwardly-opening notches or sockets 15 formedin the ,upper face of a valve-seat 16, which may assumel a i. variety orf-forms and which,'as herein shown, VG5 is provided with. an upwardlyand outwardly-,tapering aXialflow-passage 17 and a downwardly-ektending externally-threaded '4 `shank 18'screwed into an internally-threaded passageflf) in a' valve-housing 20. The valve- 7o housing 20 may assume a variety vof forms but, lasshown, is-formed with ajpocket` or recessf21 at` the bottom of whichthe valveseat 16 already 'referred to i'sin'stalled.

Thev downwardly-extending coupling-lugs 75 'l of the Awrench Vserve toV couple theV structure with .the valve-seat 16 forA concurrent frotation-,but-itV so happens that when the said valve-seat is'corroded in place and, therefore, very difficult to turn,that the coupling- 80 'i l lugs 13 aforesaid are apt to ride out ofthe notches 15 in the upper face/of the said valve-seat.

Toprevent the coupling-lugs 1,3 from ridf ing out ofthe coupling-notches 15, as above S5 described, I install inthe longitudinal bore, 11 of the body A10, an anchoring-sleeve-'QQ which is formed near'its lower end4 with a relatively-wide annular peripheral groove 23.

The lower end of the said sleeve 21 is formed 90V Y with four (more or less) longitudinal slots Zet-which extend from its eXtreme-lower end upward toa point just below the upper terminus of the annular groove V22 before referred to andresult in the production offour (more 'or less) resilient anchoring-fingers 25 V each of which is provided, as` shown, with an upwardly-facing anchoring-shoulder 26, adapted toengage the `.lower edge of the shank 18 ofthe' valve-seat 16 around thead- 100 ab.. m. i

jacent endy of the axial borevllthereof, asv

1 clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings- Tou'naintain the anchoring-shoulders 26 in hooked engagement, so to speak, with the under-face of the shank 18701e the valveseat and to simultaneously positively seat the coupling-lugs 13 V,inthe .coupling-notches 15 off vthe said valve-seat lem lofadraft-rod27 a P J which is slidably mounted within the axial` bore 28 in the anchoring-sleeve 22 before r'eferred to, and is foim'edat itslowerendwith? a shank 29 of. reducedrdiameter terminating in an upwardly-and inwardly-taperingcon-|` ical head 30, the slopingsurface of which engages with ya Correspondinglytapered surfacel formed upon `the-lower inner edges respectively of each ofthe anchoring-fingers Thefupper end of the draft-rod 2,7before Y z c andfpasses upward-througharelatively-thick referred lto is externally-threaded as at 32 bearing-disk. and having appliedA tovits Y upper end a nut 3l,.the under-face of which ,1. latter bears against the said-bearing-disk 33.

"vVithtlie Vparts engaged wi-ththe valveseat as Vshown infFi'gs. 1 and52 andthe nut 34L tightly screwed down, the vflexible anchor ing-fingers will be forced.y outwardrso as same time, the wrench-bodylO willbe drawn to hook their anchoring-shoulders, beneath the lower endof the said valvefseatandatthe downward so as to positively crowd-the cous` plingelug's 13 projectingV downwardly from the lower end thereof into the coupling notches 15 ofthe said valve-seat softhat lwhen' a'tool is applied to the polygonal head 12 lof the -wrench-body lin such manner as to proL vide a .high turning leverage,ithe saidcou- Y said Aseat Ymay be .corroded or"frozen?v pling-lugs will be positively prevented Vfrom ridingy out of the .coupling-notches in the valve-seat,V so that despite the fact that the VVplace, it can in most instances .be forced ,free

and eunscrewedfor replacementy or fregrindY ingfi y l c jltwill be understood by thoseskilledin the artrthat my inventionmay assume varied yphysical forms without departing .fromnmy i ventive conceptand I, therefore, do ynot limit myself to thespecific embodiment herein chosen for illustration,'but vonly asindi'- cated inthe appended claims;

I'claim': A A

fingers, each'provided with an upwardlyfacing anchoring-shoulder adaptedto engage the lower end ofa valve-seat; a draft-rod installed in the hollow interior of they said K- anchoringesleeve and provided at its lower end with inclined'nieans for outwardly de- Y fleeting the yielding fingers of the saidsleeve and exerting YKan upward' 'draft y thereupon; means engaging the upper portions respectively of the said draft-rodand bodyemember to-simu-ltaneo'uslylexert1an*upward draft up- Y on the former and a downward force upon the latter to `vpofs'itivelyseat the downwardly projecting.oo uplingflugsthereof in the couplings'oclrets' of a valve-seat. f Y

,2.vAs agnew articlefof inanufacture, a

wrench for. valve-seats' and theV likeconsist# ingof a body-,memberphaving'a longitudinal passage extending therethrough from end to Y vend-and formed at its loweriendzaroundfthe soV said passage with one or moredownwardly.- c

projecting coupling-lugs adapted to` enterup# wajrdly-opening couplingrsockets in a valveseatY for f turning 'the same.; ananchoring-y sleeve located-finv the longitudinal passage ign thej said body-member withcapacityjfor axial slidingmoverncnttherein and formedfat its lower. endjwith va plurality-of integral flexible fingers,[each provided with an upwardly-facing .anchoringfshoulder ,adaptedk .to Irvengage the lower endof a val`v1e-seatfg a draft-rod in@l stalled in A,the-hollow* interiorofthesaid anchoring-.sleeve and"v provided at' its lower f end with inclined meansforgoutwardlyj deflecting thefleXible fingersiofthe said sleeve if and exerting y.an upwardldraft thereupon; means engaging Y the V,upper portions respectively` of the `said draft-:rod l and body-memc ber to simultaneously:exertanupward draft v upon vlthe former and a downward forceupon thelatter tolpositivelyseat the downwardly-5 projecting coupling-lugs thereof in ,thecoui Y pling-sockets .of a valve-seat.

In testimony whereof, I Vhave signed this specification. Y n ,Y v. v 1 i I A. CONKLIN. j

1. Asv a' new article ofv manufacture, a

wrench for valve-seats andthe like, consist 

